Modern aircraft, such as an F-15E aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas Corporation, the assignee of the present invention; and the P-3, the S-3 and the F-16 aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, are adapted to carry stores. These stores can, for example, include missiles, such as the Walleye missile, the Standoff Land Attack missile (SLAM) and the Maverick missile. A missile is generally mounted to the wing of a host aircraft, typically via disconnectable pylons, such that the aircraft can carry the missile to the vicinity of the target destination prior to its deployment.
Prior to, during and even after deployment of a store, the aircraft and the associated store communicate. For example, signals are bidirectionally transmitted between the aircraft and the store to appropriately configure and launch the store. This prelaunch configuration can include downloading the coordinates of the target and initializing the various sensors of the store. In addition, a store, such as a SLAM missile, can transmit a video image, typically via radio frequency (RF) signals, of the target to the aircraft after deployment so that the flight path of the store can be monitored, and, in some instances, controlled to provide greater targeting accuracy.
In order to provide bidirectional signal transmission between the aircraft and the associated store, a host aircraft typically includes an aircraft controls and displays module. The aircraft controls and displays module provides an interface by which the crew of the aircraft can monitor and control their flight pattern and can provide armament control, such as to control the deployment of the associated store. The aircraft controls and displays module typically includes both discrete controls, such as toggle switches, as well as a joystick for positioning and selecting a cursor within the associated display. The aircraft controls and displays module also provides the necessary avionics to fly the aircraft and to communicate with other aircraft and ground base control stations.
The bidirectional communication between the host aircraft and at least some associated missiles is further facilitated by a second type of store, namely a data link pod. The data link pod, such as an AN/AWW-13 or AN/AWW-14 data link pod, is associated with the missile to provide a video interface with the aircraft controls and displays module. For example, a data link pod is typically employed in conjunction with a SLAM missile to provide an RF data link between the SLAM missile and the host aircraft.
Both the aircraft and the associated store typically process signals according to a predetermined format. As used herein, format refers not only to the actual configuration of the data structures, but also to the content and order of transmission of the signals. The predetermined formats of the aircraft and the store are oftentimes different. In order to ensure proper signal reception by the host aircraft and the associated store, the signals must thus be provided to the aircraft or store in the predetermined format that the aircraft or store is adapted to process.
In addition, each different type of aircraft and each different type of store generally processes signals according to a different predetermined format. In order to ensure that signals are transmitted between the aircraft and the associated store according to the proper predetermined format, each store is typically adapted to be mounted and deployed by only predetermined types of aircraft. Thus, a missile and its associated data link pod, if any, can be configured to process signals according to the predetermined format of the predetermined types of aircraft from which it is adapted to be deployed in order to ensure proper transmission of signals therebetween. By limiting each type of store to deployment from only certain predetermined types of aircraft, however, the flexibility with which stores can be deployed from aircraft is significantly restricted.
Likewise, aircraft are typically designed to interface with and deploy only one or more predetermined types of stores to ensure that signals are properly transmitted therebetween. By limiting each aircraft in the types of stores which it can deploy, however, the flexibility with which aircraft can deploy stores is further restricted.
One method and system for controlling and monitoring a store is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,465 issued Jul. 30, 1991 to Ackramin, Jr. et al. (the '465 patent), U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,466 issued Jul. 30, 1991 to Fitzgerald et al. (the '466 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,063 issued Jul. 7, 1992 to Sianola et al. (the '063 patent), each of which are assigned to Grumman Aerospace Corporation. The '465, '466 and '063 patents disclose data processing systems for supporting an armament system. In particular, the '465, '466 and '063 patents disclose methods and systems for deploying several types of stores from a single aircraft.
The systems and methods disclosed in the '465, '466 and '063 patents, however, require modification of the central control processor of the aircraft and the addition of even more interface electronics to the aircraft controls and display module. Accordingly, the methods and systems of the '465, '466 and '063 patents further increase the demand on the central control processor of the aircraft which must not only process flight and targeting data, but also must provide an interface with a variety of types of stores. The store control and monitoring system of the '456, '466 and '063 patents is further limited by requiring the type of aircraft from which the store is to be deployed to be known in order to properly configure the central control processor and the aircraft controls and displays unit to interface with the different types of stores.
Therefore, while it would be desirable to increase the flexibility with which stores can be deployed from aircraft such that a plurality of types of stores could be launched from a plurality of types of aircraft, the methods and systems developed to date have not readily provided such flexibility. In addition, it would be desirable to increase the flexibility with which a store can be deployed from a plurality of types of aircraft without increasing the demand on the aircraft's central control processor, adding additional electronics to the aircraft controls and displays module or modifying the command sequence and associated displays employed by crew to deploy an associated store.